This article is aimed at identifying the preferences of fruit and vegetable (FLV) consumers concerning the place of purchase, eating habits and main criteria used during purchase. The study was carried out through a survey made in 11 counties in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. Two hundred sixty six consumers aged over 18 years-old were interviewed and constituted a systematic sampling stratified according to region, sex, age and income. It was concluded that most of the consumers acquire these products in supermarkets, about two or three times a week, in most cases. When choosing the place of purchasing the consumers consider, mainly, quality, variety and speed at the check-out. This result indicates that there are two main aspects when choosing FLV, from the consumers’ point-of-view: quality of the product and time dedicated in making the purchase. In the same way, the data indicates that out of the five main aspects considered by the consumers when choosing FLV, four refer to the quality (appearance, flavour, nutritional aspects and durability), being that the price appears only in third place. Finally, this study identified three groups of products according to purchase frequency, out of which, the group with the highest frequency is composed by: onions, oranges, parsley, tomatoes, garlic and lettuce.
market survey; purchase behaviour; horticulture
